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Jennifer Bramen is a Los Angeles-based neuroscientist.
Photography by Siri Kaur
An accomplished, yet standard issue normie, youd think.
She remained steadfast in her pursuit, inspired by the way Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius turned obstacles into opportunities.
It said a witch in my area was doing a workshop on turning obstacles into opportunities.
And my intuition said, I’m gonna go meet that witch.
It was a transformative experience.
Bramen has been working with her ever since.
She teaches tools that really help you transform yourself and influence the world around you, Bramen says.
Bramen is a staunch woman of science and yet doesnt believe that witchcraft lives in opposition to scientific thought.
Its an extension of it, in fact.
The power of belief is really important.
We are hardwired for it, we thrive [when we have] things to believe in.
And harnessing your beliefs in ways that can help you is great.
You know how big the placebo effect is?
Your brain is powerful.
Organized religion, however, wasnt an option for Bramen.
I can’t personally join a religion.
I’m an independent thinker, I’m very skeptical.
I understand the power of belief but I cannot believe anything unconditionally, she says.
That was until she found witchcraft.
It’s more of a choose-your-own-adventure belief system.
It’s more of a choose-your-own-adventure belief system.
Its catnip for people who dont see their values mirrored in contemporary culture.
Others see witchcraft as a form of wellness, just like yoga or meditation.
They post basic spells, read tarot, and educate their audience on the properties of crystals.
The 80s ushered in new age spirituality; the 90s were very much wiccan, all aboutThe Craft.
Luna is the descendant of two very dynamic spiritual cultures.
One of her grandmothers was a Black woman from the American South, and the other was Mexican.
Hoodoo and traditional forms of Mexican brujeria were practices handed down to me, she says.
A witch is not something it’s possible for you to become, she says.
You are either a witch or you arent.
Ive always been a witch because that is how I was born.
Yates Garcia believes differently.
To be a witch, basically, all you have to do is practice witchcraft.
And every witch gets to define what that is for themselves.
She, too, was brought up practicing witchcraft by a female relative: her mother.
So people practice Wicca or witchcraft, not believe it.
Whatever the terminology, it gives Bramen real, measurable benefits.
When I’m practicing it, I thrive.
I feel more connected, empowered and resourceful.
I have a better relationship with myself and I’m more present in my day-to-day life.
When shes not actively practicing, she backslides.
My health gets poor, I’m in pain, and I feel less connected.
I’ll start feeling like I have less control over my life.
When I’m practicing it, I thrive.
I feel more connected, empowered and resourceful.
I have a better relationship with myself and I’m more present in my day-to-day life.
Shes quick to point out that Yates Garcia is not a therapist.
At this point in my life, I get more change out of it than I do talk therapy.
Libby, a fintech executive in Los Angeles, did the first session with her new husband.
We both still have them.
Libby started one-on-one sessions with Yates Garcia soon after.
You learn to clarify your voice and your intentions for what you’re doing.
And that might not sound like a lot, but it’s really powerful.
And it was a really nice wedding, says Bramen.
Amanda is not really hemmed in, she’s not one thing.
She can be a coach, a healer, she can do shaman work, numerology,astrology.
He incorporates manifestation rituals, prescribes crystals, pulls tarot, and helps his clients practice manifesting and meditation.
I could charge 1 million a session and that would be completely ethical because Im not exploiting anybody.
Taking a leaf out of capitalisms playbook and turning it back on itself is a wily move for sure.
An act of resistance, almost, if youre inclined to see it that way.
Which might be a good time to bring up corporate money and the inevitable entry of capitalist interests.
Witch-adjacent programming has already begun creeping into wellness establishments.
But there is sufficient precedence to draw inferences from.
Its much preferable to purchase from smaller, witch-run businesses instead.
This is one of the things that keeps me up at night, saysDeborah Hanekamp, a.k.a.
Therefore, however people come to it is good, in my opinion, says Yates Garcia.
It can become that self-care crosses the line to selfishness.
Its a selfishness that Luna is familiar with.
Those are the basic tenets of what it means to be a witch, says Yates Garcia.
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